Topics

Daniel Alfredsson really did have the flu — he wasn’t just calling in sick so he could watch Brad Fritsch tangle with Tiger Woods at Torrey Pines — and his absence from the lineup Sunday should have an interesting trickle-down effect going forward.

Minus the services of his captain, Senators coach Paul MacLean reunited Colin Greening with his old linemates Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek for what turned out to be a reminder how well the combination works together.

Greening scored his first goal of the season, muscling into position to fire in a rebound after Marc-Andre Fleury stopped Spezza’s shot, to tie the game at 13:44 of the middle period. Seconds later, he flexed his size and strength on an attempt to put the home side in front which would have succeeded had his reach for a loose puck been just a little longer.

And just when you thought he had exhausted himself from that one eventful shift, Greening hustled back to strip the puck from Evgeni Malkin on a Penguins rush in the zone.

Greening is a perfect compliment to Spezza and Michalek, and more often than not he should be kept with them on the first line. Where does that leave others? “I thought it was by far his best game to this point, consistently, from start to finish,” MacLean said. Can Jakob Silfverberg, who fell to the second line and again showed he belongs in the top-six shuffle, play left wing when Alfredsson gets back and rejoins Kyle Turris on the second line. And if so, where does that leave Guillaume Latendresse, who would have sat out a second straight game had Alfredsson not fallen ill?

When the Senators are icing their best lineup, it could leave him the odd man out, that’s weird.

Greening, meanwhile, can play on any line. He’s just a really good fit on the first.

STARTS AND STOPS

The best player wearing a Senators logo Sunday, of course, was Fritsch. Sponsored by his favourite NHL team, the Manotick native was alone in second place after three complete rounds of the Farmers Insurance Open, four shots back of Tiger. Not bad for a guy playing just his third tournament as a card-carrying member of the PGA Tour, eh? ... Zack Smith takes the body instead of playing the puck, and Malkin doesn’t step around him to set up James Neal’s first period goal ... Silfverberg had his right fist cocked and ready for a celebratory pump before he realized his shot from the high slot actually hit the post ... Erik Condra had a shorthanded breakaway in the dying seconds of the first, but was prevented from getting a full shot by Kris Letang’s backchecking .... A chant of “Andy” started up eight minutes into the second, when Craig Anderson stoned Matt (The Rat) Cooke on a clear breakaway ... Embarrassing was the response from the crowd when the golf tournament’s leaderboard was shown on the Jumbotron about four minutes into the game. Seeing Fritsch second to Woods barely generated a response, or, as a friend said: “The crowd went mild.” Perhaps they saw his minus-9 and thought that wasn’t a very good rating for a hockey player.

BETWEEN PERIODS

In attendance and waving to fans on the videoboard was Max Keeping, who is recovering from cancer surgery .... Another brilliant observation from our pal, QMI Agency’s Chris Stevenson: “Kyle Turris’ game has really picked up since he stopped eating that truck stop food.” ... Guys playing their first game against a superstar sometimes ask for a souvenir stick, right? Well maybe Silfverberg wanted two of Sidney Crosby’s, explaining why he chopped the one Sid was using in half on a first-period penalty call .... Sign held by a couple of guys in the crowd read: “Our wifes are home cleaning.” They should have caught hell when they got home —especially if their WIVES are school teachers ... With his early helper, Malkin tied Rick Kehoe for seventh on the franchise’s all-time assist list. Both have 324, but Malkin has played 290 fewer games than Kehoe did for the Pens.

THINGS I THINK I THUNK

Playing in his first game at Scotiabank Place as a Senator, Mark Borowiecki made his presence felt when he demolished Tyler Kennedy just outside the Senators blue line in the second ... It looked like the puck wasn’t sliding very well in the first period. Was it a bad Zamboni or bad hockey? ... Veteran Sergei Gonchar did play one of his better games, I thought. Trying to show Pens GM Ray Shero he still has it, perhaps? ... Brooks Orpik could be a little sore after leading the Penguins with nine blocked shots. In total, Pittsburgh players put themselves in the way of twice as many shots (24-12) as Senators ... There has been something like 50 fights in the Eastern Conference already this season. Sadly, just two have involved Senators.

Daniel Alfredsson really did have the flu - he wasn't just calling in sick so he could watch Brad Fritsch tangle with Tiger at Torrey Pines - and his absence from the lineup Sunday should have an interesting trickle down effect going forward.

Minus the services of his captain, Senators coach Paul MacLean reunited Colin Greening with his old linemates Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek for what turned out to be a reminder how well the combination works together.

Greening scored his first goal of the season, muscling into position to fire in a rebound after Marc-Andre Fleury stopped Spezza's shot, to tie the game at 13:44 of the middle period. Seconds later, he flexed his size and strength on an attempt to put the home side in front which would have succeeded had his reach for a loose puck been just a little longer.